I do sympathize with their stated libertarian platform.1 Open markets are a proven way to orient social forces towards optimizations. Unfortunately, our capitalist oligarchy only applies this magic of economics to currencies of wealth and power, optimizing for productivity of monetary value. This is not enough; we need collective governance to direct markets that optimize for sustainable consumption of shared resources and holistic well-being.

The traditions of zero-sum competition and the defensive anti-socialist postures they engender are antiquated and immature. I find it more inspiring to embrace the necessity of working together to achieve prosperity.

I was raised libertarian. My father was a conservative of the states-rights tradition. Granted, his love of Confederate history may have belied a streak of bigotry, but the lessons he imparted to me were of the value of local governance and laissez-faire capitalism. Thankfully, by the time I read any Ayn Rand, a descent to nearly the bottom of the US economic ladder had taught me how little "meritocracy" had to do with my climb up. ↩